Relationships
by Amaya Shinkuyoake
Summary: PG for now....although I might have to change the rating later, I'm not sure...On the way home from another round of tests, Kagome bumps into another girl on the street, but who is she and why is she looking for Kagome's shrine?! (this is NOT SELFINSERT!)
1. An Accidental Meeting

Relationships Chapter 1 Alright, to start this off in the proper way, nothing Inuyasha belongs to me, the only things that belong to me are my own characters, so if you like them and wanna use them talk to me about it. This is the first time I've posted anything Inuyasha-ish, so I'm hoping it's okay.  
Oh, and one other note, I gave kagome's mother a name, since it was getting awkward always referring to her as "Kagome's mother", but if anyone knows if she actually has a name, please do let me know, okie?  
Amaya  
  
  
  
Relationships Ch. 1  
  
Higurashi Kagome blinked wearily as she walked home from school. After being up all night studying, then an extra-long day at school writing make-up exams, she was exhausted. She knew that wouldn't make a difference to Inuyasha, though. He would drag her back to the Sengoku Jidai no matter how tired she was or how much she protested. After all, it had been over three days since she left, and that seemed to be about his limit. Sometimes, she had to secretly admit to herself, she did kindof like the prospect of being dragged off, but when she was this tired all she wanted was a warm bed, and... Her thoughts broke off abruptly as she bumped into someone, sending both herself and the other person tumbling to the ground.  
  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she hastily apologized. She looked up to see a girl perhaps a year or two older than her, with startlingly pale blonde hair but Asian features, rubbing her head and grinning.  
  
"That's alright." the other girl assured her, "I wasn't paying attention." She stuck out her hand. "MacNeil Yumeko, pleased to meet you!"  
  
"Ma...Ku...Nii...A...Ru?" Kagome repeated the strange name.  
  
"It's Irish. My mother was Japanese, but my father is Irish-Canadian. I'm here on exchange to find out about the other side of my heritage and look up the other side of my family. You wouldn't happen to know the way to the Higurashi shrine, would you?"  
  
"I know it," Kagome blinked, "but why are you looking for that particular place?"  
  
"Dad told me that's where he met Mom. He said something about it being the family shrine. So, you know where it is?"  
  
"It's where I live!" Kagome exclaimed. "It's MY family shrine!"  
  
"Oh! So you must be my cousin Kagome then!" Yumeko laughed. "Fancy bumping into you, of all people!" She picked herself up off the ground, then leaned down to help Kagome up as well.  
  
"I think I remember Kaasan telling me I had a cousin in Canada, but I had no idea you were coming to visit."  
  
"I know, it's horribly impolite of me to just drop in like this unannounced, but Dad didn't have the address anymore or else I would have written to let you know I was coming. We kinda lost touch after Mom died." Her face fell slightly.  
  
"That's alright, I'm sure Kaasan won't mind, and Jiichan will be glad to see you." Kagome assured her.  
  
  
  
They chatted lightly as they walked, and Kagome found herself quite liking her cousin. Yumeko was cheerful and had a refreshingly dry sense of humour.  
"...so I told him he had about three minutes to clear out of there before I'd skewer him with my foil...you should have seen that boy run!"  
  
Kagome giggled. "What's a foil?" she asked.  
  
"It's a sword used in fencing. It's blunt, but the guy didn't know that, all he knew was that I had a sword in my hands and I was mad as Hell." Yumeko giggled.  
  
"That's so BAD!" Kagome teased.  
  
"Yeah, but he deserved it. A girl might not mind being ogled, might find it flattering, even, but I dislike being groped. I was just glad I had fencing later and had brought my foil with me. I put the fear of the wrath of women in him but good!" she chuckled  
  
Kagome grinned and nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. I know a guy like that. He's a great guy, but he's always groping girls."  
  
"Bring me along the next time you see him, I'll straighten him out!" Yumeko had a broad but slightly evil-looking grin on her face.  
  
"Well, here we are!" Kagome announced as they reached the base of the temple steps.  
  
"Man!" Yumeko breathed, "I am SO glad I never had a place like that on any of the paper routes I did!"  
  
Kagome laughed. "I'm so used to it I don't even think about it any more." She yawned.   
  
"Tired?" Yumeko asked.  
  
"About ready for a nap." Kagome agreed. "That's what comes of studying all night."  
  
"School's already done for the year in Canada, so I'm here to settle in before the next year starts." Yumeko explained.  
  
Kagome mock-glared and Yumeko giggled.  
  
Kagome swept her arm wide as they reached the top of the stairs. "Well, this is it! The Higurashi shrine in all its glory!" She caught sight of he mother and waved to her. "Kaasan, we have a guest!"  
  
Her mother hurried over wearing a worried expression. "She's not the only 'guest' we have visiting at the moment dear." she gave her daughter a meaningful look.  
  
Kagome sighed, looked at Yumeko, and decided she could trust her. Something just felt right about letting her into the 'family secret.'  
  
"It's okay Kaasan, you don't need to hide things from her, this is MacNeil Yumeko..."  
  
"Kiara's daughter?"  
  
"Yes, my mother was Higurashi Kiara." Yumeko agreed politely. "I know you weren't expecting me, but..."  
  
"Oh, please don't worry about it!" she beamed. "You are welcome for as long as you wish to stay. I am Higurashi Meiko, your mother was my late husband's sister."  
  
"Yumeko, Kaasan, I have to go attend to that 'other guest' now." Kagome sighed. "I'll try to delay as long as I can."   
  
  
She trudged off in the direction of the shrine, and the invariably impatient dog hanyou who waited for her there. She felt a familiar tingle run down her spine and turned to see him leaning against the Go Shinboku, looking deceptively casual.  
  
"What took you so damned long wench?" he growled at her, "And who the hell is that other wench you brought along with you? I thought you said that if people here found out about me it would be a big problem."  
  
Kagome frowned. "Normally it would, but Yumeko is my cousin. We can trust her."  
  
"Fine, can we go, then?"  
  
"Not yet, I still have to pack."  
  
"Why the hell didn't you do that last night?" Inuyasha grumbled.  
  
Kagome found herself almost growling as she glared at him. "You want to know why I didn't do my packing last night? I didn't do my packing last night because I was up all night studying for make-up tests for the four tests you made me miss MOST RECENTLY while we were hunting shards. I have been awake now for almost a day and a half, but do you hear me asking for a nap? No! Even though I'm exhausted, do you hear me asking for consideration from you about it? No! I know perfectly well you wouldn't give it even if I did ask! All I want is a little time to pack my bag and say goodbye to my family!"  
  
During this whole tirade, Inuyasha found himself backing up, until he felt as though he was trying to actually back _through_ the tree. Tears began to glisten in her eyes and he inwardly cursed. Nothing made him feel like a first-class heel as fast as seeing tears in her eyes and knowing he had caused them...and he knew what usually followed a tirade and tears...  
  
"Inuyasha... OSUWARI!" Kagome snapped.  
  
And down he went, as she stalked back to her room to pack.  
  
  
"So," Yumeko said as she watched Kagome trudge off, "who is this other guest, and what did Kagome mean by 'you don't need to hide things from her' about me?"  
  
Meiko sighed. "How open-minded are you?" she asked.  
  
"Very." Yumeko assured her. "I've seen enough weird stuff in my life I won't balk at much."  
  
"Well then, the other 'guest' who is here is a half youkai from the Sengoku Jidai period. His name is Inuyasha and he's here to bring Kagome back to his time to hunt for shards of a powerful magical jewel called the 'Shikon no Tama' which Kagome accidentally shattered." Meiko smiled. "In addition to all that, even though he acts all growly all the time, I can tell he's really a sweetheart deep down..." she giggled, "and he has the cutest little ears! I could just tweak them forever!"  
  
Yumeko giggled. "Sounds like fun!"  
  
Meiko smiled. "You'll do fine," she said. "Now let's see if we can't delay him some and give Kagome a break."  
  
They made it to the shrine just in time to catch the end of Kagome's little tirade.  
  
"Oh." Meiko sighed, "I forgot to tell you about that part. Inuyasha had a binding spell placed on him, and Kagome is the only one who can trigger it..."  
  
" With 'sit'. How oddly appropriate." Yumeko chuckled.  
  
"We should wait for him to recover his dignity." Meiko said, "Then I'll introduce you.  
  
They watched silently as a huffy Inuyasha pulled himself up off the ground and dusted off his magenta kimono, then they stepped forward.  
  
"Inuyasha-kun, I would like to introduce the daughter of my late husband's sister, MacNeil Yumeko-san. She has come from her father's country, far over the eastern ocean, to visit us."  
  
"Hajimemashite." Yumeko bowed politely.   
  
"Hajimemashite." he replied gruffly. "I've never seen a human with such light hair, did you do something to it?"  
  
Yumeko laughed. "No, I didn't do anything to it. Where I come from, people have hair as light as mine, or as dark as Kagome's, and every shade in between...even red."  
  
Inuyasha snorted dismissively. "How long is she going to be?" he grumped.  
  
Meiko smiled. "She might be a little while packing, and since Yumeko is here, I thought I would make udon for dinner. How would you like to stay and eat here?"  
  
Inuyasha grumbled, but his stomach was already growling at the thought of food, and they could hear it, so he reluctantly agreed that dinner sounded like a good idea.  
  
"Yumeko dear, you go tell Kagome she's staying for dinner. Her room's on the second floor and her name is on the door. Inuyasha-kun, why don't you come in and make yourself comfortable while you wait."  
  
Yumeko smiled as she watched the power of a mother in action. Since she had lost hers at a young age, she had missed having a strong matriarch to watch and emulate growing up.   
  
  
Once they were inside the house, it didn't take her long to find her cousin's room. Even without the nameplate on the door, the sniffles and muttering, coupled with the sounds of things being violently shoved into a pack, would have told her where to go.   
  
She knocked softly and called through the door, "Kagome, your mother said to tell you you're staying for dinner. Do you need a hand packing?"  
  
The door opened and Kagome peeked out. "Oh! Yumeko! Come on in. I'd love a hand packing."  
  
When she saw the size of the pack, Yumeko was stunned.  
  
"How do you carry all that?!" she exclaimed.  
  
Kagome laughed. "Usually Inuyasha insists on carrying it. He says I slow him down too much if I try to carry it myself." She sighed. "It would be nice if he would do it for some better reason, but..." she shrugged.  
  
Yumeko smiled suddenly. "Ne, Kagome, I've just had an idea...is this everything you want to put in your pack?" She indicated the stuff strewn all over the floor.  
  
"Pretty much, yes." Kagome agreed.  
  
"And didn't you say you needed a nap?"  
  
"Ooooh yes!"  
  
"So why don't I pack your bag for you, and you sleep until your mother calls us for dinner?" Yumeko suggested.  
  
Kagome got a bright smile on her face and gave her cousin a big hug. "Yumeko, you're a genius! Thank you so much!"  
  
Yumeko smiled. "It's nothing really, now get to sleep and I'll wake you for dinner."  
  
"It's a good thing I have plenty of practice from packing for my trip." Yumeko murmured as she looked at the heap of clothing, food, and other necessaries which had to fit into the pack. Kagome had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, so she was trying to be quiet as she folded and rolled and stuffed. She giggled as she saw the amount of ramen in the pile. "Obviously somebody has a favourite food."  
  
  
Downstairs, Inuyasha was amusing himself by flipping channels on the TV. He still didn't understand why there were so many different channels, and most without anything good on them, but he knew how to "flip" them now. He was hoping to come across that "Fushigi Yuugi" show again...he had discovered it one day while waiting for Kagome, and although he wouldn't admit it if asked, he had been sucked in by the storyline during subsequent visits. Something about it just appealed to him... He grinned as he saw a familiar character flash across the screen. He HAD managed to time his visit right after all.  
  
"So, that Miaka girl is going back." he nodded, grinning, "That pack is almost as big as Kagome's!"  
  
He relaxed back into the couch as he continued to watch the anime.  
  
  
From the doorway into the kitchen Meiko smirked. She had picked up on this little obsession of Inuyasha's early on in the game, and now was taping the show for him and surreptitiously playing it, making him believe his little secret was safe. Not that she was going to tell anyone else anyway. She knew all about men and their need to appear strong at all times. Her sister HAD married one like that, after all, and all that trouble her nephew had been through with his iinazuke was due to having been taught that stubbornness. She had offered to teach Kagome some of her little tricks, but Kagome had only blushed brightly and shook her head. Silly stubborn girl. But then, she hadn't admitted yet that she was in love with the boy. Meiko sighed. She could have wished her daughter would choose someone from her own time, that nice Hojo, perhaps, but there is no arguing with the heart, and since she could tell Inuyasha also cared deeply for Kagome, she knew she would have to be content knowing that her daughter would be well taken care of... And the noodles needed cooking. Scolding herself for getting distracted, she turned back into the kitchen.  
  
  
Yumeko grinned and nodded proudly at the backpack. Despite her worries, she had managed to stuff everything in, even with a little room to spare. Kagome was still asleep, so she snuck quietly out of the room and headed downstairs to see how dinner was coming.  
  
The scents coming from the kitchen almost made her swoon with delight. She could smell udon and shrimp and...and...was that inari?! She sighed in pleasure. One thing was for sure, she definitely loved Japanese cooking! With a wide smile on her face, she peeked into the kitchen.  
  
"Oh! Hello Yumeko-san, what can I do for you?" Meiko asked.  
  
"Do I smell inari?" Yumeko asked politely.  
  
"You do," Meiko confirmed with a smile, "I shouldn't be encouraging you to spoil your dinner, but would you like one now? Just to test them, of course."  
  
"Of course..." Yumeko repeated, a glazed look of pure pleasure on her face as she popped one in her mouth, savouring every morsel. She shuddered and closed her eyes with delight as she finished it.  
  
"I'm glad you like my cooking so much." Meiko smiled.  
  
Yumeko blushed brightly. "It's good, and it's been soooo long since I had homemade inari. I promise, the next piece I won't go _quite_ so crazy over."  
  
"Not 'til dinner's on the table," Meiko said with a smile, "now out, you!" She gently but firmly shooed Yumeko out of the kitchen.  
  
Out in the living room, Inuyasha was still watching Fushigi Yuugi, and Sota, to whom Yumeko had not yet been introduced, was playing some kind of video game. Inuyasha, of course, totally ignored her, but when Sota realized she was there, he jumped up.  
  
"Hi!" he said excitedly, you must be Yumeko. Kaachan told me you were here! I'm Kagome's little brother Sota!"  
  
Yumeko smiled. "Nice to meet you Sota-kun. What're you playing there?" She sat down next to him on the floor.  
  
"Mystic Ninjas of the Flames. It's an RPG." he informed her.  
  
"Sounds cool." Yumeko smiled, "Why don't you play, and I'll watch, I'm not very good at video games." she admitted.  
  
"Okay! This is Mizu. I like to play her cause she has all the coolest attacks." Sota started explaining the game to her.  
  
  
It wasn't long before dinner was ready. Meiko peeked into the living room.   
  
"Yumeko-san, would you go tell Kagome dinner's ready?" she asked.  
  
Inuyasha stood up. "Don't bother, I'll get her." he said as he headed upstairs.  
  
"But..." Yumeko started to object.  
  
Meiko shook her head. "Yumeko-san, I'd love a little help bringing the food to the table." She gestured toward the kitchen.  
  
Catching the hint, Yumeko trailed after her back into the kitchen.  
  
"What was that all about?" she asked.  
  
Meiko smiled. "It may not seem like it most of the time, but I do know that the two of them are in love, although neither one of them will admit it. I know that much of their time is spent in desperate struggles or surrounded by their companions, which is no place for such feelings to come to light, so I try to give them at least a little space and opportunity for such things when they're both here. But not a word to either one of them, you hear me?"  
  
Yumeko grinned broadly. "Never a peep you'll hear from me about it." she assured her aunt, "In fact, I'll even help as much as I can. I do so love a bit of matchmaking!"  
  
With smiles carefully wiped from their faces, the two co-conspirators began to carry the dishes out to the table.  
  
  
When Inuyasha got upstairs, Kagome's door was open just a crack, so he peered in, only to see that she was sleeping. 'I guess she really was tired,' he thought to himself, 'she hasn't even woken up from me disturbing her.' Slowly he crept closer and closer to her. This was a perfect opportunity to engage in one of his favourite hidden pastimes...watching Kagome sleep. The serene expression on her face, the slow steady rhythm of her heartbeat, the soft susurration of her breath, all suffused with her sweet scent...he felt so at peace. He drank her in, and a slow smile spread across his face. Leaning over her bed he almost forgot himself and stroked her face. Catching himself just in time, he trailed his fingers through her hair on the pillow, then gently shook her shoulder.   
  
"Feh. I guess you must be tired if you sleep this deep." he said as she blinked blearily up at him.  
  
"Inuyasha? What are you doing here?" Kagome asked as she blinked up at him.  
  
"Dinner's ready." he said, then turned to leave.  
  
Kagome ran her hands through her sleep-tousled hair as she got out of bed, and hurried after him. Yumeko had said Kaasan was making udon for dinner, and she didn't want to let Inuyasha get too much of a head start at the table, or she wouldn't get nearly enough!  
  
  
By the time Kagome and Inuyasha got to the table, it was set, and everyone else was waiting for them. Sota was playing restlessly with his chopsticks and Jiichan, who had been introduced to Yumeko when he came in from the shrine, was happily lecturing her on some legend or other.  
  
"Did you have a good nap?" Yumeko asked Kagome quietly as her cousin sat down next to her.  
  
Kagome smiled at her. "I did. Thanks for helping me out."  
  
Yumeko shrugged. "It was no problem, really." she said as she loaded her plate.  
  
"Itadakimasu!" rang out over the table, and all conversation petered out for a while as everyone busied themselves eating.  
  
After the mad rush to eat had slowed down a bit, Kagome and Yumeko busied themselves talking as well. Yumeko was curious about Kagome's adventures, as anyone would be, so Kagome, with a little "help" from Inuyasha, told her all about the people and places she had seen (edited slightly to leave out some of the more life-threatening times her mother didn't know about yet).  
  
Half an hour later, Kagome sighed, sated, as she finished her plate of udon. She looked over at Yumeko, again, and noticed she was eyeing the three remaining inarizushi with a soulful and pleading gaze.  
  
"Ne...Meiko-basan, may I..."  
  
Meiko laughed. "Yes, you may have them, _if_ you promise to behave yourself."   
  
With a wide grin, Yumeko grabbed her bounty, sighing in delight as she popped each sweet morsel in her mouth.  
  
Kagome threw her mother a questioning glance, but she just shrugged and smiled. Sota giggled.  
  
"She's her mother's daughter all right," Jiichan pronounced, "if I didn't know better I would think both of them were Kitsune. You see, the legend of deep-fried tofu is that Kitsune absolutely adore it, and will do almost anything to get it."  
  
Kagome sighed, having tuned her grandfather out after hearing the words "the legend of...". Inuyasha, on the other hand, thought little of the statement, but stored it away for later testing on, and possibly use against, Shippou.  
  
"Gochisousama deshita." Yumeko bowed politely when she was finished.  
  
"Alright, now that everyone's done, let's get going." Inuyasha said to Kagome in a rather surly tone. Much though he did appreciate the good food and a relatively peaceful evening, he had his priorities, and chief among them was getting the Shikon jewel back in one piece.  
  
Kagome sighed. She was still reluctant, but really she was a little surprised she had gotten as much time at home as she had, and her nap had helped her mood tremendously.  
  
"Alright then, I'll grab my bag and we'll get going." she agreed.  
  
  
Very soon thereafter, Kagome and Inuyasha (carrying her bag) were headed to the well house. The rest of the family came with them to bid Kagome farewell, and Yumeko was looking forward to seeing just how this time travel thing worked.  
  
In the well house itself, Kagome hugged her mother goodbye, then sat on the edge of the well and pushed off. Without even so much as a goodbye wave (not that anyone expected such from him) Inuyasha jumped in after her, and then both of them were gone.  
  
"Incredible..." Yumeko breathed as she peered down into the now-empty well. "The well looks completely normal, and yet they both just...disappeared!"  
  
  



	2. Unexpected Happenings

Relationships Ch. 2

Unexpected Happenings

"Jump down and see for yourself." Meiko said.  "It's just a dry well for the rest of us, but Kagome can pass through it to another time."

Yumeko sat on the edge, then pushed off, fully expecting to hit bottom almost immediately.  She didn't, however.  Instead, she suddenly felt she was in water.  Just when she was sure her air was about to run out, she broke the surface...only to find that she was perfectly dry and in the bottom of the well.  She looked around and shrugged.

"Well, that was definitely different." she muttered, a little surprised.  She looked for a way to climb back up, but all she could see were vines, and she wasn't sure she wanted to trust them.  "Could you throw down the ladder now please?" she called up the well.

The head which peered down at her, however, was not the one she was expecting.

"Yumeko?!" Kagome exclaimed in surprise.

"Kagome?  How did you get back?"

"Back?  Better to ask how YOU got HERE!" Inuyasha barked as he too leaned over the edge of the well.

"How about we deal with all this once I'm above ground?"  Yumeko asked plaintively.

"Climb up on the vines." Kagome told her, "They're quite strong, I use them all the time."

"Well, if they'll hold you and that pack of yours, they should definitely hold me." Yumeko grinned and started climbing out.

When she hauled herself to the top, she was met with a new little face peeking into her own.

"Hello," she giggled, "you must be Shippou; Kagome told me all about you!  I'm Kagome's cousin Yumeko."

Shippou hopped onto her shoulder and was looking at her hair.  "It really is as light as Inuyasha said it was!  Kagome says it's cause your poppa's from so far away, but I've NEVER seen a ningen vixen with hair as light as yours before!"

"We should go to the village and see if Kaede-baba can figure out how you managed to get here." Kagome suggested.  She had already loaded her pack onto the back of her bike and was walking it down the path, with Inuyasha just ahead of her.

Shippou jumped off Yumeko's shoulder and scampered after them, then jumped up on Kagome's bike.  With a few long strides Yumeko caught up with them, and as they all walked, she looked around.

'I wonder how many archaeologists and historians would kill to be able to be doing what I'm doing right now?' she pondered to herself.

On the back of the bike, Shippou was regarding her curiously, tilting his head first one way, then another.  Finally he hopped back onto her shoulder.

"Okay," he said suspiciously, "you can fool them, but you can't fool me.  I've found you out, so just change back."

Yumeko was very confused.  "Change back?  What are you talking about?"

"Change back to your true form!"  He glared at her and Yumeko felt a sharp pain go through her.

Kagome turned to look at them when she heard Yumeko groan.  "Shippou, what's going on?" she asked, alarmed.

Shippou glared at Yumeko again, and again she winced.  "She's not ningen, she's a kitsune, but she won't own up and change back." he said, letting out one of his squeaky kit growls at her and making the pain even worse.

"Yumeko, is what Shippou's saying true?" Kagome asked her cousin.

"I don't know what he's talking about!" she whimpered, "I'm sure I'm a human!"

"Shippou, you're nuts...if she's a kitsune, why doesn't she smell like one?" Inuyasha pointed out.

"Cause she was born in a human body, that's why."  Shippou said in a superior, lecturing tone of voice.  "Unlike a hanyou like you,  any offspring of a kitsune are always full kitsune, no matter who the other parent is, and if the mother is a kitsune using a human avatar, the kit can be born looking and even smelling and feeling like a human to any non-kitsune."

Kagome went wide-eyed as she realized something.  "Shippou, wait!" she ordered.  "Yumeko, how old were you when your mother died?"

"I was six.  Why?"

"So you don't remember much about her, right?"

"I have some memories, but they're hazy..."

Shippou blinked as he realized where Kagome was going with this, and he looked very contrite.  "She never told you, did she?" he asked.

"She always told me I was special, but I just assumed that was something all mothers tell their children," Yumeko mused.  "Are you trying to tell me I'm a kitsune?"

Shippou grinned.  "Yup!  You're a kitsune, just like me!"  He sighed.  "But you can't play with me 'til I teach you how to change...and your momma probly put a block on you.  Maybe Miroku can help!  He prob'ly knows how to break the enchantment and force you into your true form!"

"Force me?  This is sounding painful..." Yumeko sounded a little worried.  

"Don't worry, you're pretty, so he'll be nice to you." Shippou assured her with a wink.

Yumeko rolled her eyes.  "Yes, Kagome told me all about Miroku-houshi and his...roaming hands."  She shrugged.  "But if I truly am a kitsune as you say, and if he can help me to free that part of myself, then it will be worth it."  She looked sad for a moment, then she laughed.  "Well, I must say, this does help explain some of the weird things that have happened to me over the years."

When they reached the village, they headed straight for Kaede's home.  It being the usual home base for the Inu-gumi, Miroku was likely to be nearby.  When they got there, they found both Sango and Miroku sitting outside in the sun.  Sango grinned when she saw Kagome and ran to meet her.

"How were your days away?" she asked, "You look tired."

"Busy, and I am a little tired, but I'm glad to be back."

"Who is this enchanting young woman you've brought with you?" Miroku asked, grinning lecherously at Yumeko.

"This is my cousin Yumeko from across the sea to the east." 

"She's a kitsune!" Shippou piped up.

"Really?" Miroku raised an eyebrow, "She doesn't feel like a youkai."

"We think her mother may have used a spell to keep her from her true form." Kagome explained.

"She died unexpectedly when I was six." Yumeko said, "If she had done something like that I wouldn't know, but Shippou insists I'm a kitsune."

"Well," Miroku said, standing up, shakujou in hand, "let us see if he is right."  He closed his eyes and began to mutter a sutra.

Yumeko moaned. It felt as though the top layer of skin was being peeled off...rather like the time she'd had a bad sunburn on her back, except that it was everywhere.  Miroku's chanting rose in volume, and the ache increased until finally he touched the shakujou lightly to her forehead.  She saw a burst of bright white light, then passed out, slumping into a sitting position.

For the rest, observing, it looked as though Yumeko was obscured by a heat shimmer or mirage, then, when Miroku touched his shakujou to her forehead, it all blew apart, and she collapsed to the ground.  Her hair was now slightly redder than it had been, and she had perky fox ears on top of her head.  Her fingers now ended in delicate but wicked-looking claws, and she had a long bouffant tail the same colour as her hair.  Shippou crept over to her and her nose wrinkled, then she opened her eyes slowly.

"Oh...I feel funky..." she groaned, reaching up to rub her temples.  She gave a little scream when she couldn't find her ears, but then she felt the base of them and reached up to the top of her head to find them.  Her eyes widened as she realized the faint strange background sound she could hear was the faint "lub-dub" of her companions' heartbeats, and that she could _smell_ them as well.

"Well, it looks like Shippou was right." Miroku affirmed, "You definitely are a kitsune.  Such a shame...if you were human, I could ask you to bear my child...perhaps..."

He was cut off by Sango's Hiraikotsu making firm contact with his head.

"I apologize for his behavior." Sango said.

Yumeko smiled.  "No worries, I was warned about Miroku-houshi's lecherous ways.

"Ne, Yumeko-san," Shippou tugged on her sleeve, "now that your seal is broken we can go play!  Besides, there's a bunch of stuff I gotta show you.  You don't know anything about being a kitsune I'll bet."

"No, you're right, I don't.  You'll have to teach me, Shippou."  She looked over at Kagome.  "You don't mind if I run around for a bit, do you?"

Kagome smiled. "I don't mind at all," she said, "Shippou can bring you back to Kaede-baba's hut before dark."  She turned to Shippou.  "Remember, Yumeko isn't from this time, so she's not used to looking out for youkai, so you'll have to help her with that too." she reminded him.

Shippou nodded importantly, then turned to Yumeko.  "Okay, the first lesson is this, since it's the funnest way to play.  Are you paying attention?" he asked her.

Yumeko nodded, and Shippou did something the others had never seen him do before...he changed into his true form: a little ball of fluff kitsune kit about the same size as Kirara's small form.  He yipped at Yumeko and sat expectantly on his haunches.

She had been concentrating carefully on what he had done, and she closed her eyes and imitated it.  This time she was fully conscious of everything that was happening as she changed.  When she was finished, standing in her place was a ruddy coloured kitsune as tall at the shoulder as a golden retriever.  It was obvious, though, that she was not quite full-grown.  She still had that gangly look of an adolescent, although she'd almost outgrown it.  But no kitsune ever outgrows play, and when little Shippou pounced at her then sped off across the fields, she couldn't resist and went barreling after him.

The rest of the group was left standing there somewhat at a loss for words.

Kagome sighed.  "So, it seems Jii-chan was right about one legend, at least." she laughed.  "I wonder, though, what to do about Yumeko.  I hope she can still change back to looking fully human now that Miroku's broken the spell, otherwise she'll have some trouble when she gets back to our time."

"We have more important things to worry about." Inuyasha corrected her, "While you were away at your 'school' thingy, I found a really good lead for where Naraku might be."  He looked up at the sun sinking in the sky.  "We'll spend tonight here, but in the morning we'll have to send Yumeko home and head off.  I don't want to give Naraku a chance to go running off again.  We _are_ going to get the part of the jewel he has away from him this time...and preferably rip the bastard to shreds in the process." he growled.

Kagome sighed, but nodded.  She knew well enough that there was never time for a break on their quest, even if she might wish for one.  Naraku didn't take breaks, and they were already playing catch-up with him as it was.

"Well, in that case, since I've already had dinner, I think I'll catch up on my studies." she said. "Who knows when I'll get a good uninterrupted chance to study again."

Sango sat back down again and began polishing Hiraikotsu, and Miroku wandered off, presumably to chat up one or more of the local girls again.  Kagome sat near Sango and pulled out her science textbook, settling in to read the chapter on the circulatory system.  Inuyasha hung around for a bit, but soon became bored and decided he should probably check on the two kitsune.  What with Shippou being so young, and Yumeko totally unfamiliar with this time, they were more than likely to attract the attention of some youkai and end up in trouble.

Said kitsune, meanwhile, were barreling through the forest in a game of hide and pounce.  They looked almost like a pair of natural foxes, except for their bright blue eyes, and the fact that Yumeko was larger than any natural fox.  They weren't exactly worrying about keeping quiet, and the forest rang with their yips and sharp foxy barks.  Yumeko was surprised to realize that she could actually understand the sounds Shippou was making; it was a language of its own, completely different from human speech, and she somehow instinctively knew it.  She shrugged mentally.  At least this explained why she had always been good at "reading" animals

Suddenly, Yumeko noticed a strange scent on the air.  Something about it made her hackles stand on end.  With a warning growl to Shippou, she lunged at him and picked him up by the scruff of his neck, setting him down between her forefeet as she turned to face the threatening scent.  It was all totally instinctive, and she had no idea what she was doing until it was done.

_"What is it?"_ Shippou yipped inquisitively up at her.

_"Bad smell.  Threat.  Stay."_ she growled.  She went into a protective posture over him, head lowered and forward, ears back, tail curled down over her haunches and her muscles tightly coiled.

Shippou's eyes widened as he sniffed the air.  There was the scent of a weasel, but he had dismissed it.  Only now did he realize there was something off about the scent...and it was coming closer.  He shivered, then briefly shook himself.  He was supposed to be the one protecting Yumeko and teaching her about youkai, Inuyasha had said so.

_"Itachi."_ he barked softly at her, _"Use kitsunebi."_  He demonstrated it for her, the white-blue youki-fueled flames flickering over his fur like static electricity.

Immediately she copied him, although her fur, instead of merely flickering, seemed to burn.  With only a brief rustling of the bushes as warning, a massive man-tall three-eyed weasel burst out of the forest in front of them.  It paused briefly on seeing their kitsunebi, then, with a high-pitched scream, it attacked.  

With a low growl, Yumeko lunged and met it in mid-air, closing her sharp white teeth around its throat.  It slammed her into the ground when it landed, but she held on tight.  Shippou leapt at its head and clamped down onto one of its stubby ears.  He shook himself, throwing his kitsunebi, and wherever it landed on the weasel, it burned.

The weasel reared back, trying to dislodge Shippou, and that gave Yumeko enough room to maneuver.  She kicked it in the chest with her back legs, and twisted, rolling them over so she was on top.  She then imitated Shippou again, shaking the kitsunebi from her fur.  The weasel shrieked with pain and rage as its tender belly was scorched.  It sunk the claws of both its stubby forelimbs into Yumeko's shoulders.  She screamed shrilly, but only dug her teeth deeper into the weasel's neck.  She could taste its blood in her mouth, and could smell its burnt hair and flesh, but it didn't seem to be weakening.  It dug its claws deeper still and tried to dislodge her from her chokehold.

Shippou stayed right where he was, worrying at its ear, but he was half-crushed beneath it and couldn't do much else.  He whimpered in frustration.  He was supposed to be protecting Yumeko, but what could he do? He couldn't use his leaves and toys in this form, but he couldn't change back when he was trapped like he was, and this was probably the only form Yumeko could fight in, since she didn't know any tricks yet.  If only Inuyasha were here...

Inuyasha was, in fact, in the forest.  He was trying to figure out where the pair of kitsune had gone, but their scent trail was muddled and in places almost missing.  It was at one of these "blank spots" when he was sniffing the wind that he caught their scent up ahead, filled with fear mixed with blood and the scent of a youkai weasel.

"Shit." he swore as he rushed toward them, "Damn kit was supposed to be keeping a lookout."

When he reached them, the weasel had reared its upper body against a tree and had slammed Yumeko into the tree trunk with one paw, while it was swatting at Shippou with the other paw.  Inuyasha could see that neither the weasel nor the kitsune had the upper hand.  Yumeko's grip on its throat would choke it, but not fast enough, and since it couldn't get its teeth into her, the weasel couldn't do much more to her than it was, and that wouldn't make her let go.

"Damned tenacious vixen." he admitted reluctantly under his breath.

Taking advantage of the fact that the weasel was too distracted to notice him, Inuyasha rushed it from behind.  He was very careful to take off its head above Yumeko's grip but below Shippou.  It was over so fast that the kitsune didn't even realize they had help until the weasel was already dead.  It slumped to the ground, pulling Yumeko with it.  Inuyasha helped pull its claws out of her shoulder as Shippou shifted back to his human-like form and ran over to them.  Yumeko shook her head dazedly as the weasel was pulled off her, then pulled herself to all four feet.  She looked at Shippou and gave an interrogative little bark.  He shook his head. 

"Better for you to heal some 'fore you change back." he warned her, "Otherwise it'll hurt real bad!"

"Keh." Inuyasha sighed, "C'mon you two, let's get the hell outta here."

He turned to leave, and Shippou jumped up to his shoulder.  As he began to walk away, Yumeko moved to follow.  Her shoulders and back twinged with pain, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it should be.

'But I'm sure I'll be feeling this once the adrenaline wears off.' she thought to herself.

The sun was setting just as they reached the village, and once again, it was an amazing sight to Yumeko.  Even hurt as she still was (although the bleeding had already stopped, even from the deepest punctures) she could appreciate the sight of a few of the brighter stars shining in the reddish glow cast by the setting sun.  Even in Canada, whose skies were much clearer than those of modern Japan, that was a sight you would never see.

"Oi!  Megitsune! Hurry it up!" Inuyasha called from the door of Kaede's hut. 

Yumeko shook herself out of her reverie and trotted over.  When she got inside, she delicately shook each paw off before stepping up onto the floor.

Kagome looked up from her history text and gasped in shock as she caught sight of her cousin's bloody shoulders.

"She'll be okay, she just can't change back until she's better healed." Shippou explained as he jumped onto Kagome's shoulder.

_"How long will I have to stay like this?"_ Yumeko barked.  

"You should be healed enough to shift back in a couple of hours." Shippou assured her.

_"Only a couple of hours?"_

"Kitsune heal fast." he explained.

She settled herself by the fire, squirming at the unsettling feeling of dried blood matting her fur.

"Do you want me to comb that out for you?" Kagome asked.

Yumeko nodded vigorously, so Kagome sat by her and began to gently break up and comb away the dried blood while Kaede busily started sorting herbs for a poultice.

"So what happened anyway?" Sango asked.

"Indeed," Kaede interjected, "I should like to know as well."

"Well, we were playing hide and pounce, and this itachi-youkai came out of nowhere and attacked us.  Yumeko tried to defend us, but she was just fighting on instinct, and I couldn't concentrate long enough to change back and I never learned how to use magick in my true form, so I couldn't do much to help.  Then Inuyasha came and killed the weasel." Shippou told her.

"I thought you were supposed to be watching out for youkai." Inuyasha pointed out.

"I was, but I only smelled weasel, I didn't catch its youkai scent until it was almost right there.

_"I smelt it before you did."_ Yumeko yapped proudly.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at that.  "Really?  You didn't mention that part, Shippou."

"She's older, so of course she has a better nose." he said defensively.

_"You understand me?"_ Yumeko barked interrogatively at Inuyasha.

"Yeah, mostly.  All the canine languages are pretty much the same, and they're instinctive." Inuyasha shrugged.

"I'm surprised there was a youkai this close to the village." Miroku said, "Doesn't your presence usually deter them, Inuyasha?"

"It's not that unusual." he admitted.  "Most of them, though, I deal with and they aren't worth mentioning.  I'd say there's usually one or two per month."

As Kagome carefully brushed her fur, Yumeko found herself drifting off to sleep.  The warmth of the fire was comforting, and she laid her head down on her front paws and closed her eyes.  Entirely too many things had happened today for her to take it all in.  Far better to deal with it all in the morning.

Kagome looked at Yumeko, and down at Shippou, who had fallen asleep in her lap and yawned herself.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I think these two have the right idea.  I'm going to get some sleep too." she announced.  She set Shippou down by Yumeko and went to roll out her sleeping bag.  She laid it not far from Yumeko and turned to face away from the fire, which was still quite bright.

"Before you go to sleep, will you help me put these poultices on her shoulders?" Kaede asked.  "Kitsune heal fairly quickly, but with deep punctures like that, I don't want to take any chances."

"Of course, Kaede-baba." Kagome agreed.  She moved Shippou onto her sleeping bag, then went to help Kaede

Sango said she would help as well, and between the three of them, they got the poultices placed over Yumeko's wounds and bandages wrapped around her to hold them in place, all without waking her up.  When they were done, Kagome once again laid in her sleeping bag, and Shippou snuggled close in his sleep, as always.  Sango and Kaede also elected to go to sleep, so it was only the "men" left awake.

"What do you think it means that Yumeko was able to come through the well when previously only you and Kagome could?" Miroku quietly asked Inuyasha.

"Keh.  Beats the hell outa me." Inuyasha shrugged.  "Maybe it's cause she's Kagome's cousin."

"I still don't understand how it is that she was able to look so human, and even thought she was.  If her mother was a kitsune, surely she would let her disguise slip from time to time."

"Shippou said something about her mother 'using a human avatar' and that making her look and smell human." Inuyasha explained.

"Hmm..." Miroku mused, "Interesting.  And even with a presumably human father, she's a full kitsune, not a hanyou.  Kitsune are strange creatures."

"Yeah, Shippou seemed really proud that kitsune don't make hanyou.  He said offspring of a kitsune are always full kitsune, no matter the non-kitsune parent." Inuyasha muttered.

"Well, it seems I have much to think on." Miroku said as he leaned back against the wall of the hut with his shakujou next to him and slipped into a light meditative trance.

"Keh." Inuyasha spat as he slipped out the door to stand guard on the roof while the rest slept. 

So, a couple of things to note.  First of all, the fact about kitsune breeding true is from someone's research about kitsune I read, although I may not be totally accurate on it.  If not, it's my adaptation to the universe, so there.

Secondly,

Translations:

Itachi = weasel, although you could probably figure that out by context

Megitsune = female fox (a contraction of _mesu_ meaning female and _kitsune_ which of course means fox.  Shippou is a _kogitsune_ using _ko_ meaning young or child.)

Finally:  Yes, I am working on this fic again, although I'm not sure how fast it'll go, it depends whether I can figure out just where I'm going with the plot, although I have more of an idea now, and there's going to be romance in here, tons of it, so be fairly warned.  I may even try to put in some lemon-like scenes, depending on if they fit into the story or not. Not _real_ lemons, of course, since we're not allowed to do them anymore…


	3. Barriers and Obstacles

Relationships Ch. 3

The next morning, everyone rose bright and early.  Yumeko waited only long enough for them to get the bandages and poultices off her before shifting back to her fox-eared form.

"I just thought of something," she said to Shippou, "Where do the clothes go?"

Shippou shrugged.  "I dunno, they're just always there when you change back.

"Speaking of 'back', my mom's probably having a fit trying to figure out what happened to you." Kagome said to Yumeko.

"Oh my god!  I didn't even think!" Yumeko exclaimed, "I was supposed to call my dad last night!  He's gonna think I got jumped by muggers or some such!"

At that point, Inuyasha peered in the door.  "C'mon then.  We'll drop Yumeko at the well, then we've got to go after that new lead I was telling you about." he said abruptly.

"At least let us eat some breakfast." insisted Kagome, even as she was packing away her sleeping bag.

"Alright." he conceded as his own stomach growled, "We'll eat breakfast first."

Kaede spooned them each out a bowl of rice gruel flavoured with savoury herbs.  Everyone ate well, but quickly, and about a quarter of an hour later, they were standing outside bidding their farewells to Kaede.

"Sorry to leave you with the dishes." Yumeko apologized.

Kaede chuckled as she waved.  "No need to be concerned child, I can surely deal with a few dirty bowls."

When they got to the well, Yumeko grinned.  

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys later." she said, with her tail curled in her lap and her feet dangling into the well.

"Aren't you going to change back to your human appearance?" Kagome asked.

"Nah, not yet.  Figure I'll freak Jii-chan out first." Yumeko laughed.  Both Kagome and Inuyasha laughed too, having had experience with Jii-chan's "exorcisms" before.

"Alright then, ally-oop!" she called as she hopped down into the well.  

Half a second later they heard a soft thump, followed shortly by Yumeko's voice.  {Damnit} she swore in English.  With a soft "hup" she jumped back out of the well again.

"Seems I can't get back like this.  Maybe if I was back in my human form..."

"Yes, that might fix the trouble." Miroku agreed.

"So, this should be easy enough.  I was a 'normal human' for the first seventeen years of my life, and I've only been a kitsune for one day." 

 She closed her eyes, and her form shimmered and looked totally human for a moment, then her legs gave way beneath her and she caught herself on the edge of the well, back in her fox-eared form.

"I...can't!" she gasped, "I can't hold onto it!  Why can't I hold onto it?" she asked plaintively.

"You're prob'ly too young." Shippou guessed.

"Too young?"

"Yeah.  Most kitsune can't take a fully human appearance until they're at least full-grown in their fox form.  Prob'ly the only reason you looked human is 'cause you were stuck that way thanks to your mama's spell, and now that Miroku removed it..."

"I'm not powerful enough to fix it again." Yumeko completed for him.  "You mean I'm stuck here like this until I'm full-grown?  How long will that take?!  Years?  Decades?"

"Maybe we could find an older kitsune to help you shift." Shippou suggested.

"Sure, that might work, but for now, how am I supposed to let everyone know I'm all right?"

Kagome looked significantly over at Inuyasha with pleading eyes.

"Keh.  Fine, you can go back to explain about Yumeko, but I'm coming with you, and we're only staying long enough to pass on the message then we're coming right back and starting off like we should have already."

"If you have a pen and paper I'll write down my dad's number and the address of the hotel I've been staying at.  The key's in my purse, which I left in the living room.  If your mom could call my dad, and get some clothes and necessities from my room it would be a real help."

Kagome handed her a notebook and pencil, and she quickly jotted down all the information, then handed it back to Kagome.

Leaving her pack behind, Inuyasha and Kagome jumped together into the well.

"Awfully cute together, aren't they?" Yumeko smiled at Sango.

"Indeed.  Of course it's obvious to everyone but them." Sango agreed.

"Meiko-basan, that's Kagome's mom, told me she's trying to get them to admit their feelings, since the tension is driving her crazy.  She said I should help..."  

Sango laughed.  "Good luck." she said.

"Yeah." Shippou agreed, "We've been trying for months.  They're both too stubborn."

"Guess I'll just have to wait for my oppor...ACK!" Yumeko squawked as she felt fingers run through the fur of her tail.  She spun around and slapped Miroku at the same moment that Sango brought Hiraikotsu slamming down on his head.  She gave him her favourite icy glare of doom and growled.  "Don't do that." she grated, "It feels very...disconcerting."  Suddenly she sniffled.

"What's wrong?" Shippou asked.

"I'm not used to having a tail, or hearing so well, or...or any of this, and I'm stuck in a new country in a different _time_ with no money and not even a change of _underwear_!" she wailed as she burst into tears.

A little shocked by this sudden change in tone, Sango patted her shoulder in an effort to comfort her.  

Shippou jumped onto her other shoulder and reached up one tiny hand to rub at the base of one of her ears.  "Don't worry," he assured her, "we'll help you.  We all know how it feels to be struggling alone."  

The other two nodded.  

"Besides," Miroku added,  "you're Kagome-sama's cousin."

"And Kagome-chan would be horribly disappointed in us if we didn't at least try to help." Sango joked.

Yumeko took a deep breath and sighed.  "Thanks.  Sorry about that.  Usually I don't freak out about things, but all this has sortof caught me off guard."  She laughed a little, "I mean, suddenly I'm not even human, not only that, I'm a creature I've always considered mythical!  It's just a _little _past my usual level of weird, you know?"

They all laughed at that.

On the other side of the well, Kagome was busily giving her mother the condensed version of Yumeko's adventures in the past.

Meiko shook her head in disbelief and wry acceptance.  "So, you're telling me Yumeko is actually a kitsune, as was her mother, and now she's stuck on the other side of the well since she isn't old enough to hold human form without help?"

"Yep, pretty much." Kagome nodded.  She handed her mother the sheet of information Yumeko had written.  "She asks if you could call her father for her and let him know she's okay; also, this is the address for her hotel.  The key is in her purse in the living room, and she asked if you could bring her a few changes of clothes." she explained.

Meiko smiled.  "Of course I can.  I'll make sure her father understands what has happened.  Poor thing.  She was already so far from home just to come here.  I hope her problems will be solved soon so she can at least come back to her own time."

Kagome nodded.  "I hope so too."

Inuyasha cleared his throat and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Anyway Mama, I'd better get going.  We have lots to do on the other side, and everyone's waiting for us."

Meiko gave her daughter a hug, and smiled over at Inuyasha.  "Good luck then," she said as she once again watched her daughter walk away "and tell Yumeko I'll have some changes of clothes here for you to take back the next time you're here."

"I will." Kagome called back and waved as she and Inuyasha headed for the well house.

When they got back to the Sengoku Jidai, everyone was lounging by the well.  Yumeko's ears perked up and her nose twitched as she became aware of their return.  She turned from where she had been sitting leaned back against the well just in time to see Inuyasha leap out of the well carrying Kagome.  As soon as his feet touched the ground again, though, he put her down.

"Alright, we're back, now let's get a move on, we've wasted half the morning already." Inuyasha announced.

Kagome went and got her bike and pack from where they were leaning against a nearby tree, and the others all gathered up their things as well.  A couple of minutes and they were all on the road again.

"Where do these rumours you're following lead, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

"South." he answered, "Toward Miyako."

*************

By late afternoon on their second day out, they finally reached a small town.  They had seen a few villages on their way, but they had all been off the road, and hadn't offered any real accommodation.  Not that it made any difference to Inuyasha, he preferred to sleep outdoors anyway, but he knew that the others liked a roof over their heads sometimes.  He knew just how it would go, too; Miroku would scout out the most luxurious house in the area, then he would announce to the owner that there was "a dark cloud" or "an evil omen" looming over the house, and he could remove it for them if they would only put him and "his assistants" up for the night.  That was how it always went, regular as clockwork...

Except when it didn't, of course.

As the sun was setting, a young woman noticed their group entering the town, and exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, thank the kami for sending you to us, Houshi-sama, we are in dire need of your assistance." she simpered as she bowed low in front of Miroku.

Miroku took her hands and held them gently.  "Of course I will help you, my good woman, what can I do for you?"  He grinned in a manner most unbefitting a priest.

Sango rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs, and he released the woman's hands.

"Well, you see, the problem is with our local priest.  Over the last year, children have been going missing, only to be found wandering in the woods a few days later, confused and disoriented, but unharmed.  Two more went missing this week, and our priest went out to find them.  Even though he is still young, he is an extremely powerful priest.  He was confident that he could find and stop whomever it was who had been stealing the children.  Well, both the children were found, but our priest wasn't found until this morning.  He has been badly beaten, and he keeps babbling incoherently.  We were hoping another priest would be able to bring him at least somewhat back to himself so we might be able to know what happened to him, and what we can do to keep our children safe."

"Of course I will help, all I ask is that you provide for my assistants and myself for the night.  We have traveled far, and have been longing for a roof overhead for even one night." Miroku reassured her.

The injured priest was being kept at a local lord's house, and even from outside they could hear him raving, although the humans couldn't make out the words.  Their more sharp-eared companions could, however.

"Miroku-houshi, why is he screaming about crows eating him?" Yumeko asked under her breath.

"Crows?" Miroku responded.

"Yeah, crows." Inuyasha agreed.

Miroku sighed.  "I have a strong suspicion of what happened to this priest, but I must wait until I see him to know for sure." he explained as they entered the house.

The priest was being kept in the innermost chamber of the house.  He was lying on a futon, his body covered by his tattered kesa and his head and visible limbs wrapped in bandages.  He was muttering what sounded like sutras under his breath, and his eyes were wide open, but they were clouded with fear, and their gaze was directed inward, obviously oblivious to his true surroundings.  Miroku knelt by his bed, and the rest of the group, feeling a little out of place, stayed back against the shouji.  

As Miroku leaned forward to better hear the young priest's mutterings, the bandaged man began to scream.

"Karasu!  Karasu!  Giant crows!  They're pecking me!  Go!  Leave me! Why are you hurting me?  Why?!"  He started sobbing and tearing at the bandages around his head.

"What's wrong with him?" Shippou whispered to Kagome.

"He's gone map, Shippou.  Something made him loose himself, and now he doesn't know where he is anymore." she whispered back.

Miroku shook his head and sighed deeply as he stood up.  "I must speak with the townspeople now." he announced.  He composed himself with a deep breath before pulling the shouji aside and leaving the room in search of more answers.

The others all looked at each other, thoroughly confused. 

Alright, I know it's evil, and the chapter is a little shorter than the rest of them, but this seemed the most logical place to leave off, so the next chapter will be a little longer.  I dunno if you guys are even reading this anyway, but if you are, here are the translations for the unfamiliar words.

1 Miyako:  This is the old name for the capital of Japan and the place that held the Emperor's palace, the city we now know as Kyoto.  Kyoto is a fairly modern name for it, however, so I assume Inuyasha would refer to the place as Miyako.  Anyone who picked up on that name and knew where they were going my congratulations to you!

2 Shouji:  These are the sliding screens which define rooms in traditional Japanese houses.  They only have walls on the outsides of the house.  You'll notice I said they stayed against the shouji, not that they leaned against them, that would be a bad idea, shouji were very flimsy, thus traditional Japanese houses didn't' have a whole lot of privacy.

3 Karasu:  As with itachi in the last chapter, this should have been obvious from context…karasu means crow…and something else as well, and if you have a guess, I'll give you until next week when I put out chapter four to post that guess, if you're right I'll give you the glory of having figured it out, and my admiration for knowing a lot about Japanese myth and legend!


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